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Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast, your source for all things Short Trail
271 Episodes
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Send us a text Money is moving up the mountain, and the Northeast is ready for it. We sit down with Tom Hooper of 603 Endurance to unpack how a new partnership with Marathon Sports unlocks bigger prize purses, stronger production, and a smarter sponsor model that gives each race its own brand identity. Sunapee Scramble returns as the U.S. Mountain Running Championship with a $30,000 purse from Brooks and Team USA selection on the line. Loon Mountain leans into its legendary Upper Walking Boss...
Send us a text Trail running deserves sharper storytelling than recycled podium posts. We open the books on Steep Stuff: what we botched in 2025, what finally clicked, and how we’re going big on short trail in 2026. James and guest host Francesco get specific about the pivot from clunky Zoom reels to clean Riverside workflows, a fresh brand identity, and a quality-first mindset that actually scales. The result is a clear plan: show up at Broken Arrow, The Rut, Cirque Series stops, and champio...
Send us a text A late start, a canceled senior season, and a move to Bozeman turned Lucy Kolpa from a soccer defender into one of trail running’s most compelling rising names. We dive into how she traded splits for summits, built a durable engine without a coach, and learned to treat races as a celebration of big mountain days rather than a verdict on her identity. Lucy opens up about the moments that shaped her: walking on to DIII cross country with no high school PRs, discovering how sleep...
Send us a text The spark wasn’t love at first stride. Tayler Tuttle Peavey once hated running, chose softball, and struggled through PE miles—then found a coach who spoke the language of physiology and a path that led from Georgia to Colorado and, ultimately, to USATF national titles on the trails. We sit down to unpack how a hip labrum surgery, a health-first rebuild, and a sustainable coaching approach turned doubt into momentum and a breakout 2025. Tayler takes us inside the pivotal trans...
Send us a text Best of 2025 - Ryan Becker Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text Best of 2025 - Emma Cook Clarke Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text Best of 2025 - Jane Maus Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text Best of 2025 - Kyle Richardson Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text Best of 2025 - Bailey Kowalczyk Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Send us a text A world-level skyrace is returning to U.S. soil, and the path runs straight up a rugged Olympic Mountains summit. We sit down with race director and media voice Mathias Eichler to unpack how Beast of Big Creek became the only U.S. stop on the Skyrunner World Series, what ISF course certification really requires, and how you scale a steep, technical route without breaking the wilderness that makes it magic. Mathias shares the full arc: inheriting a beloved local race, modernizi...
Send us a text The ache that won’t sit still, the quad-dominant stride, the back that tightens after miles on trail—none of it is random. We invited Dr. Sean Rimmer, PT, DPT of Run Potential PT, to unpack how the pelvis truly drives running: three-plane motion, rotational loading, and the elastic recoil that makes a stride feel effortless. When the pelvis stops moving, hips overwork, nerves get irritated, and the system loses its spring. Sean explains how to spot the difference between hip, p...
Send us a text The sport keeps growing, the livestreams keep improving, and the fields get deeper every year—so why do so many iconic ultras still offer zero prize money? We sit down with Eric, the builder behind Run Fund, to unpack a direct, no-drama solution: let the community and sponsors crowdfund purses that pay athletes fairly and transparently. No betting, no gimmicks, just clean rails that move money from fans and brands to finishers. We dig into how Run Fund works behind the scenes—...
Send us a text What does it take to choose the mountains when a different calling has your heart? We sit with Arc’teryx athlete Emma Cook-Clarke for a candid, high-altitude conversation about identity, risk, and the rare joy of sustainable excellence. Emma reflects on a season loaded with contrasts—top 10 in the world at the uphill and a historic team bronze for Canada, a Speedgoat podium in a record-fast year, and the sting of missing Olympic SkiMo qualification—then walks us through how she...
Send us a text Breaking news rarely hits mountain running like this. The World Skyrunner Series is officially returning to the United States, and the Beast of Big Creek on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is the stage. We dive straight into what makes this 23K course so compelling: sustained grades exceeding 20 percent, a clean up-and-down profile that rewards efficient climbers and fearless descenders, and a summit near 6,000 feet that avoids altitude headaches without losing the punch. With 1...
Send us a text What happens when a top ultrarunner steps behind the curtain and starts managing athletes, budgets, and contracts—while still chasing Western States dreams? We sat down with Coree Woltring for an unfiltered deep dive into the modern trail ecosystem: how sponsorships really get done, why timing matters, what brands value beyond results, and how the sport can better support its athletes. Coree traces his arc from triathlon hopeful to crewing Leadville, to a breakout North Face c...
Send us a text What happens when a Texas kid with marathon roots drops 60 pounds, moves across continents to mentor young athletes in Kenya, and then turns that purpose into a season-long charge through the Cirque Series? We unpack the full story with McKennon Woltman—complete with chai-fueled mornings, singletrack at altitude, and the lessons that only service and steep terrain can teach. We start with a family tradition of marathoning and the health scare that pushed him to act. That path ...
Send us a text What happens when a mountain athlete chooses meaning over metrics? We sit down with ski mountaineer and mountain runner Michael Wirth for a rare, candid conversation about privacy, purpose, and why FKTs feel more honest than podiums. Michael traces his path from the Roaring Fork Valley to a brief stint in consulting, then into a life shaped by long tours, sketchy weather windows, and the strange pressure of being recognized for what you do in quiet places. We dive into the gri...
Send us a text The view from a razorback ridge can change your life—and your training. We invited Robin Vieira Brower, one of the few American women racing the Skyrunner World Series, to unpack how she built a season across Austria and Ireland, what “sea to sky” truly demands, and why skyrunning needs a bigger footprint in the U.S. Robin shares a refreshingly candid path from college soccer to technical mountain running, the exact workouts that paid off on steep grades, and the mindset shift ...
Send us a text A Tahoe childhood can shape an athlete for life—and Noah McMahan proves it. At 19, he’s a Gonzaga steeplechaser who keeps his easy runs on dirt, wins Broken Arrow 11K off a Hayward Field PR, and carries hard-earned lessons from the World Mountain Running Championships in Spain. We talk about the quiet confidence it takes to recover from injuries, the patience to build fitness through a long collegiate season, and the racecraft to navigate tight European singletrack when the sta...
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